THIS WEEK: Wandera sails through Busia LCV race

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | On Nov.26, the Electoral Commission (EC) in Busia district declared Independent candidate Geoffrey Wandera newly elected LC V of Busia district after he went through unopposed.

This was after nomination for Democratic Party and National Resistance Movement Party candidates was cancelled.

In two statements, EC chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama said the nomination of Paul Boniface Oguttu of the NRM had been cancelled on grounds that the names in the nomination papers he presented did not match the names on the requisite academic documents accompanying his nomination papers.

He also noted that DP candidate Deogratius Hasubi Njoki was not a registered voter under the national voters register and thus overturned the returning officer’s decision to have him nominated him too.

Both parties had filed petitions challenging each other’s nomination. Earlier in the campaign there was some controversy over a rumor that the DP candidate Njoki had been appointed by the government for a job at the Uganda Human Rights Commission.

His supporters said this was being used as bait by the ruling party to keep him out of the race. Calm only returned when he declared that he had rejected the government’s offer.

“I thank the appointing authority for considering me to serve on the UHRC but considering the time when I received the appointment letter on November 8, just a day after closure of nominations in Busia, I can’t make any change,” he told his supporters.